congenital malformation or?!

[madeesawn]

hi. this young squirrel pictured is one of my (wild friend)
squirrel's babies. the litter has only just begun to venture down from their nest. this guy has a very misshapen head, ie. not symmetrical, his spine seems to arch dramatically, and has squinty eyes. he seems to climb ok and everything, but is often just sitting and staring at something in the distance.
im worried about my little dude, but idk what i can do. now that i think about it, this is the second "special" baby my squirrel friend has had in the 3 litters she has had altogether is this that common? advice anyone?
326095326094.

[TubeDriver]

Poor baby! :( What you are seeing could be some type of congenital deformity or it could be trauma due to a fall. His spine does not look at all normal and his head/face looks swollen. The staring spells could be seizures and that could be a result of either trauma or some type of developmental issue. The fact that he moves and climbs normally is surprising, just looking at his spine, I would guess that he would have some motor function deficits. Mother squirrels will often kick out or abandon a baby they sense is "different" but that did not happen here which supports the acute trauma possibility. I would watch him closely, he might need support or help. If I got this baby, I would bring him right over to my vet for an exam. Do you have any squirrel rehabbers nearby that might be able to help if needed?



hi. this young squirrel pictured is one of my (wild friend)
squirrel's babies. the litter has only just begun to venture down from their nest. this guy has a very misshapen head, ie. not symmetrical, his spine seems to arch dramatically, and has squinty eyes. he seems to climb ok and everything, but is often just sitting and staring at something in the distance.
im worried about my little dude, but idk what i can do. now that i think about it, this is the second "special" baby my squirrel friend has had in the 3 litters she has had altogether is this that common? advice anyone?
326095326094.

[madeesawn]

Mother squirrels will often kick out or abandon a baby they sense is "different" but that did not happen here which supports the acute trauma possibility.

thank you so much for responding.

i was thinking that at first, but Pepperoni (mother squirrel) is a very special squirrel(arent they all?) and this wouldnt be the first baby she has raised that is a little "different"

his spine is soo abnormal, i agree. but i dont think that could have happened from an injury, could it? especially with his fairly normal movements. the only wildlife rehab i know of will euthanize squirrels if they suspect they wont make it in the wild

pic is of Peps other special needs baby from last year .

[TubeDriver]

I probably would not bring him in to that rehab center, there is a pretty good chance he would be killed. It sounds like this mom squirrel is a really sweet squirrel and a good mom. If he sticks around, he might need some help with extra food? I hope he can make it out there.:grouphug


thank you so much for responding.

i was thinking that at first, but Pepperoni (mother squirrel) is a very special squirrel(arent they all?) and this wouldnt be the first baby she has raised that is a little "different"

his spine is soo abnormal, i agree. but i dont think that could have happened from an injury, could it? especially with his fairly normal movements. the only wildlife rehab i know of will euthanize squirrels if they suspect they wont make it in the wild

pic is of Peps other special needs baby from last year .

[island rehabber]

I agree with Tube Driver here. Because this mom is such a good mom I would give nature a chance to work itself out. Squirrels are so resilient. In my opinion even if his life is shortened by his differences, a wild life with his family is still the best option. One day in the trees...etc.

[Chirps]

I am curious how the previous special baby made out. It doesn't look malformed like the current one. Is it still around?

[madeesawn]

I am curious how the previous special baby made out. It doesn't look malformed like the current one. Is it still around?

true, he was malformed in a different way. he was half the size of his siblings and had diarrhea/spiky fur, so dehydration was an issue. we had 3 days in a row that were over 100°f and all the squirrels stayed inside for those days and i never saw him after that, unfortunately. he was so sweet and tiny, always napping in the sun. i read that the downs squirrels cant thermoregulate so maybe thats why? just hypothesizing